Dear Mr. Koskinen;

In your recent reply to the Open Letter from Lysa Leland of the Cape Ann Community Preparedness Project, you noted your desire to see people prepare for y2k disruptions as follows:

"I put into the hearing record yesterday our checklist and in my testimony stressed that people should be prepared -- and should be prepared early."

I understand that you have chosen to inform the American public through a series of "Community Conversations" held at various sites around the nation. I further understand that attendance at these "Conversations" has ranged from a few dozen to a few hundred.

It seems that your chosen strategy may allow you and your associates to inform up to 5,000 of our citizens concerning the need to prepare. Far be it from me to suggest that such a strategy has been deliberately chosen as a means to limit the numbers so informed. I am certain it is simply your overwhelming workload which has prevented careful consideration of what might be more efficient means of communicating with the populace. To that end I offer the following suggestions.

Three excellent means of reaching the largest number of individuals in the shortest time (and with the least expenditure of cash) would be:

* Newspapers

* Radio

* Television

Television is a little more expensive but does provide quite a 'bang for the buck' (as they say). I trust your budget allows for expenditures in these areas. And, were your boss to appear alongside you on the t.v. spot, the effect might be even more dramatic.

Now that you are aware of these options, I am certain we can expect your widespread use of same as effective tools for encouraging people to "prepare and prepare early". This should also serve to silence those critics who suggest that your motives are other than the overall well being of the people of these United States of America, in whose best interests I have no doubt you toil night and day.

Sincerely, Me

-- Me (me@me.me), November 08, 1999

Answers

Dear Me,

Thank-you for your thoughtful letter regarding our out-reach strategy. As you know, our number one priority at the Whitehouse is to reach the American public in a timely and effective manner, and to address the American public's concern regarding Y2K compliance, er, readiness. Now, I must admit, despite the large budget and numerous aides present in our Y2K bunker, er, department, it honestly never occurred to any of us to 'get the message out' using radio, newspaper or TV. This is a very novel, er, useful suggestion. In fact, after reviewing your idea in a recent meeting - this morning actually, - our Y2K team wholeheartedly agreed that informing the American public via TV might actually get our message across more quickly than say, sending our carrier pidgeons to each household. So we have scrapped the pidgeon idea for the moment. Rest assured that, as I write this, our team of heavy hitters is assembling a TV spot that will 'bring the message home'. We expect this spot to air no later than January 5, 2000.

Yours Truly,

JK

-- J Koskinen (the@white.house), November 08, 1999.